Fire Destroys 1 Home, Damages 2 Structures In Placentia

PLACENTIA (CBSLA.com) — A fire destroyed a home and damaged two additional structures early Friday morning in Orange County.

The fire began just before 1:30 a.m. at a home in the 300 block of W. Santa Fe Avenue in Placentia, the Orange County Fire Authority said.

Maria Medina, who lived in the home, said she woke up to smoke and flames and quickly evacuated two people.

The fire quickly spread to the Mi Casita Mexican restaurant and a home next door, officials said.

A Placentia police officer in the area helped evacuate four people from the neighboring house.

“He ran, he jumped over that fence and hitting the windows, yelling at my neighbor and he kicked down the door and said get out,” Medina said.

Efforts to fight the two-alarm fire were hampered by downed power lines in the area.

“We were faced with some challenges in the back. There were some very high voltage lines in the back that had snapped and could have created a problem for us,” he said.

It took 60 firefighters from the OCFA and Fullerton and Anaheim fire departments about an hour to bring the fire under control.

“Investigators have been through the building. The fire at this point is undetermined, but there is so much damage in the initial structure that it’s difficult to discern the cause of the fire,” Cpt. Muir said.

The home where the fire began was destroyed. The two additional structures suffered exterior damage, according to officials.

Officials estimate the fire caused $657,000 in damage.

In all, four adults and three children were displaced as a result of the fire.